This controversial question has been asked many times, and for women this is their sole reason for smoking, to help them lose weight. It cannot be denied that the nicotine in cigarettes increases the metabolism and decreases the appetite, but at what cost? All published statistical reports that a few extra pounds are much healthier than emphysema or lung cancer. Sometimes health predetermines what you are going to do in life, which is why some people succumb to the effects of cigarette smoking and others can smoke for years with no ill effects that are diagnosed. After all, generations of men and women smoked before the surgeon general ever released his reports on the ill effects of smoking.
We’ve been of the opinion for some time that cigarette smoking had some beneficial contribution in weight loss; the proof is in the number of people who gain weight after they quit even if they don’t consume more food. With some work, the weight gain experienced after smoking cessation can be controlled, and it’s an individual issue. Not everyone who stops smoking is going to gain weight nor is everyone who smokes going to have an easy time losing weight. The key issue, as always, is in the individual metabolism of the individual and though recent studies do indicate that nicotine has a somewhat positive effect on weight loss, this should not be taken to be indicative of how this drug will react on every person. However, since many people who quit smoking eat more, that leads researchers to believe that Nicotine is an appetite suppressant though there is not enough evidence currently to support that theory.
Other research indicates that smoking affects the rate at which the body uses energy and as a result may be capable of altering a person’s natural intake and expenditure of calories. Of course, there are also those people who substitute food for cigarettes, and if they choose a high-calorie sweet instead of raw vegetables or fruit, the effect is going to be a rather substantial weight gain. Still other research led by Robert C. Klesges, Ph.D of the University of Memphis Prevention Center investigated the relationships between smoking, smoking initiation, smoking cessation, and weight change in young adults. The researchers in this study found only minimal evidence of any weight benefit from smoking. Those who smoked or began smoking during the study did not lose any weight.
The study also discovered that the group who gained the most weight after cessation was black males, though indications were that white males and white females would be the most likely to continue smoking in order to control weight. What this survey shows is that any significant weight control benefit to be derived from smoking is going to take years before it manifests itself. The researchers also found that individuals who quit smoking experienced a larger weight gain that those who continued smoking or never smoked at all. Among the participants who quit smoking, the highest weight gain was among the black population. What this indicates is that although smoking is not successful as a mechanism for weight control, smoking cessation does have the effect of causing weight gain.
Because of the University of Memphis study, it is suggested that further study be conducted to look at the effects of smoking on body weight of younger participants. It is also suggested that since this study focused on Whites and Blacks, further studies should be conducted using other ethnic groups as well.